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In a surprising move, nine major pharmaceutical manufacturers came together on Tuesday to issue a joint statement on COVID-19 vaccines. The statement, authored by nine of the leading companies working on vaccines, included promises that vaccines will be thoroughly tested for safety.
Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Moderna were among the companies that joined together to issue the pledge to safety.
The pledge comes amid widespread conspiracy theories and fears about a potential vaccine. On the more conspiratorial side, some have alleged that a vaccine for COVID could be a scheme to implant some malign chip or entity into the public.
On the more realistic side, others have raised fears that a rushed vaccine could include devastating side effects if not properly screened for safety.
The joint statement included a promise that the companies will not seek FDA approval for a vaccine until they’re proven to be safe. This includes rigorous Phase 3 testing, which will see vaccines tested in larger groups of test subjects.
The companies promised to “only submit for approval or emergency use authorization after demonstrating safety and efficacy through a Phase 3 clinical study that is designed and conducted to meet requirements of expert regulatory authorities such as FDA.”
The companies also affirmed that they will “always make the safety and well-being of vaccinated individuals our top priority”. This rare statement highlights the bizarre nature of the current moment. Not only is the world facing down a pandemic, it is doing so during a time of historic mistrust in science and medicine.
Many in the US fear the pandemic simply won’t end until a vaccine is available. This makes trust in a vaccine an incredibly important factor in public health.
US President Donald Trump has pressed vaccine manufacturers to deliver a vaccine in record time. During a recent press conference, he even suggested that a vaccine could be ready before the election. “We’re going to have a vaccine very soon. Maybe even before a very special date. You know what date I’m talking about,” Trump told reporters.
His statements come after fears of hacking into labs creating vaccines were floated over the summer. Several labs reported cyberattacks from foreign IP addresses in June and July.
These attacks were targeted to local servers. Research into a vaccine isn’t being kept on unity cloud servers where just anyone could access them. Instead, a robust hacking attempt would be required to steal any data relating to a vaccine.
